Daring To Try
by The Genius Mage
Summary: Light, implied VenxOC that is basically Namine. Noticing a pale blonde slipping into the gardens at night instead of dancing at Cinderella's ball, Ven decides to investigate. Minor BBS spoilers, if any.


_~*Daring To Try*~_

_Ven didn't want a life full of "should have", "might have", and "could have" after all._

_~***~_

_Musical Inspiration: Castle of Dreams Battle Theme, Naminé's Theme, Ventus's Theme_

~***~

Ventus stared up at the Castle of Dreams, glad to have finally made it, delicately placing the purple music box on top of the meager pile of Cinderella's belongings. Not that she had ever asked him, but out of the kindness of his heart—and to find an excuse to leave both the new princess and Prince Charming alone together—he had offered to get all of the girl's old things from her home. There wasn't a lot, true, but there was probably_ something_ she wanted to bring with her into her new life.

Cinderella deserved a prince, after everything she had gone through at the hands of her evil step-mother and step-sisters.

The ivory palace was decorated extravagantly, overflowing with rippling green banners and golden flags as the inhabitants celebrated the ball. Cinderella and Charming were somewhere in there entertaining the guests, Ven imagined. He didn't exactly know how to dance himself, but the boy fancied he would probably pick it up from the other partygoers if he tried hard enough.

_Aren't Terra and Aqua here?_ Ven somewhat recalled Cinderella mentioning she had invited the other two Keybearers to stay for the party, but he hadn't been there at the time that she had spoken to the pair.

Ven could hear the orchestra from where he was, cheerfully going at it with a furious gusto. One entire wall of the castle was pure glass, and the refreshment tables were loaded with food for the spiraling guests, who could be seen flowing with the music, obviously enjoying themselves. Raised hedges, tended to grow perfect white roses, had been carved into elegant shapes and designs outside, easily viewable from within the ballroom. After making sure the servants knew that was the last of Cinderella's things, he headed for the side entrance, preferring a more inconspicuous entry than simply walking in through the front door.

Secretly, though he felt slightly silly about it, Ven was a little frightened that someone would try to get him to dance. And he didn't know _how_. Even _he_ didn't want to endure that kind of embarrassment. The sky overhead was speckled with bright glowing dots—worlds, he reminded himself with a feeling of awe—each one seemingly no larger than a pebble. The frosty white glow offered only a meager light supply; it was the moon, brilliantly shining from far away, that really illuminated the castle gardens. It gave everything an unreal feeling, creating dark shadows but also causing other objects to reflect the radiance back twofold.

Right before Ven was about to cross the last of the field and slip into the servant's entrance, something pale caught his eye. It was distracting and easily noticeable, since everything else outside was either very dark or very bright. Sky blue eyes flicked instantly to the shape with a warrior's reflexes, and his gaze locked with someone else's for only a split second before it was gone.

Curious, despite himself, Ventus raced off in pursuit, plunging into the hedge maze. He kept himself ready, Keyblade right on the verge of being summoned, wary of an Unversed attack. He kept getting the sensation that he was just missing his quarry on every turn, and the boy put on a huge burst of speed. He was surprised that anyone could even outrun him for longer than a few seconds—he was the fastest of the Keyblader trio after all. Whoever it was, the person was fast.

But not fast enough.

Ven skidded around a corner in a spray of leaves and grass, more determined than ever to see who it was that could push him to his limits. The person unexpectedly stopped halfway down one path, hunching their shoulders.

Straightening up, slowly, the boy asked, "Who are you? I'm sorry if I scared you…didn't mean to. I was just wondering who would be back here and not at the party." He raised his hands, palms facing forward, to show he had no weapons. Ven then flashed a hesitant grin.

The person turned around slowly, and he got a good look at her.

She was _pale_. A very, very light peach that was almost white, even more noticeable thanks to her ivory dress that fell down to her knees. It was a simple outfit, but effective, with light blue sandals to accompany it. The only thing special about her clothes that Ventus noticed was the lacey frills on the edges of her short sleeves. She had hair a lighter color than his own golden-blonde, hers being more of a soft yellow.

Now, all of the Keybearer apprentices had blue eyes. Aqua's was more of a sapphire azure, Ven's was as bright as a summer sky in the afternoon, and Terra's was a deep, dark cobalt. But the girl's, as the boy immediately realized, was some weird shade between his own and Aqua's. Not as light as his, but definitely further down the color spectrum than Aqua's.

Ven's mind scrambled briefly before trying to find the right thing to compare her steady, calm gaze to. Eventually, he settled on the ocean on a cloudy day. Not that he could exactly remember the sea, but that had to be what it looked like, right?

"I…didn't want to dance." The girl clasped her hands behind her back and turned her body slightly so that she was only halfway facing him. She was breathing hard, though trying to hide it.

"Why not?" He took a step towards her, honestly intrigued. "Don't know how?"

"Not that. I do. It's just…" Her voice was so quiet that Ven could barely catch her words. They were as insubstantial as smoke, visible, but only for a few seconds. If he didn't concentrate, he'd probably miss what she was saying.

Shaking his head, he tapped one fist against his chest. "I'm Ven! Sorry to startle you, if I did, anyway. That probably was kinda terrifying, having a weird armored guy chasing after you in a hedge maze." He folded his arms behind his head and gave her his best smile.

She laughed, hiding her grin behind one hand. Pleased, he winked at her.

"It's nice to meet you, Ven. My name is Maris."

He cocked his head to the side. "Maris? That's Latin. So is mine. Excellent!" The song—still easily within hearing range thanks to the sheer volume of the music—paused for a few seconds before starting up a new melody. Guiltily, he wondered if Terra and Aqua were concerned that he wasn't there.

"Do you need to go?" Maris inquired politely, following the direction his fleeting glance had been in.

Ven blinked. "Huh? No, not really. What about you? What were you planning on doing back here?"

"Nothing. I was going to watch the swans near the lake, that's all." Maris turned and started walking along the hedgerow, her fingers calmly trailing across the spiny leaves and thorns, entirely unbothered by the bristles.

Ven stepped lightly to her side. "Mind if I come? I don't really feel like dancing much either."

She dipped her head. "If you want, of course."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Really, if you don't want me to tag along, tell me. I don't mind leaving, if you want to be alone. I'm trying not to do anything that would reinforce my creepy garden stalker image."

Another smile, and Ven celebrated his success with a satisfied sigh.

Maris brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I honestly don't mind."

"That's good! I mean—er, yeah, that's nice." Rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, he kept his silence for a few minutes as they cleared the maze—she knew every twist and turn—and entered the center. A small pond, complete with a stone bridge and a white gazebo, were clustered over and near the glassy surface of the water. There were five creatures in the tiny lake. Two snowy swans and one brown-green-black duck with her two yellow chicks.

"Her eggs hatched!" Maris exclaimed with a pleased expression.

Ven responded with the all powerful and intelligent, "Huh?"

Patiently, she pointed at the duck. Ven's eyes darted from Maris's face to the three waterfowls. "Oh! Awesome." He waited a beat before asking casually, "So, what do you do here?"

"I'm just a servant. I'm on break right now." Maris shrugged one shoulder.

"Oh." He thought she would have been some Lord's daughter or something, from the way she looked. This world was so _strange_.

"What about you?" Her gaze moved slowly from the bronze armor-piece on his shoulder to the other various aspects of his clothing that probably seemed a little outlandish.

"I'm a warrior," Ven informed her proudly as Maris removed a brown bag from somewhere behind a bush—pre-prepared apparently—and started tossing the bread crumbs to the animals. They floated on the surface briefly before the creatures began bobbing for the morsels, shaking their heads quickly to dislodge water every time they re-emerged.

"A mercenary? A guard? A knight?"

"Not a mercenary. More like…" Ven shrugged. "Freelancer? I guess? My friends and I try to keep the peace."

"You must be why those strange monsters disappeared."

"Yeah! That was me and my friends." Ven knelt down beside her, listening to the sweeping music draw to a delicate close. A new, much slower song started up in its place.

She twitched. Only ever so slightly.

Ven decided to act before his nerve left him. He stood up, bowing low and offering her his hand. "Can I have this dance?"

Maris lifted her eyes slowly, and then a faint blush colored her cheeks. "Ven…"

"I'm not that great, but I'll try from what I know." He flashed her another brilliant smile.

She laughed a little and took his hand. Ven marveled at the strange texture of her skin. So soft, compared to his own. No battle scars, no weapons. He said the first thing that came to mind. "You must be a musician!"

"Sorry?" Maris asked, surprised.

Aghast, the Keybearer used his free palm to smack himself in the face. "Ugh, sorry. I mean, you look like the type to play instruments."

She chuckled gently. "No, I'm an artist."

Ven started the slow twirl that he knew dancers did, seeking to ignore the fact that he had his hand on her waist and all the other physical touches that ballroom waltzing required. "Really?"

"Yes. I think there is power in art…one picture can tell a thousand stories."

"Don't you mean, 'one picture is worth a thousand words'?" He inquired. The echoing timbre of the music was still going strong. Ven grimaced as he felt his foot slip as he instinctively tried to pick up the pace. He was used to all out speed with the wind blowing through his hair, not the slow steps they were doing now.

Regardless…it felt nice. Different, but not unpleasant. Peaceful, even, with the only audience being the ducks and the swans. He could deal with that.

"Hehe, like this, Ven," Maris told him smoothly, repositioning their fingers and relaxing their tempo by just a little bit.

"Uh, right. Thanks."

For a while, it was only the moon and the stars and the quacking waterfowl, and then Ven gave her a teasing grin. "You didn't answer my question."

"I thought," Maris murmured. "It was a matter of opinion."

"What do you mean?"

"I think pictures tell stories, not just words."

"Don't words tell stories?"

"But the best are longer than a thousand words."

Ventus laughed, beaming at her. "That's a matter of opinion."

Maris looked thoughtful. "I guess so."

"What's your favorite story?"

"Cinderella's." The blonde haired girl gazed towards the Castle of Dreams, its one large glass wall opaque thanks to the glare of the moonlight.

"I guess she'll be famous now, huh?" Ventus said.

"Yes. I'm sure of it."

"My friends are in there." They kept right on swirling and twirling, their steps beginning to slow without either of them realizing it.

"Are they?" Maris questioned. "Are they dancing?"

Ven nodded. "I bet they are, if Terra worked up the nerve to ask Aqua."

"Is Terra brave?"

"Yeah."

"Then I bet he did."

"I hope so."

They had completely stopped now, for reasons neither of them knew. Maris was just leaning against his chest, still holding his hands, and Ven wasn't even uncomfortable. He didn't really _feel_ anything besides a sort of strange warmth in his heart. His mind was fuzzy and clear at the same time.

"What's your favorite story?" Maris inquired after unmeasured seconds had passed.

Ven listened to the song warp and change with half an ear. "The kind that start with Once Upon A Time and end with And They Lived Happily Ever After. Aqua used to tell me those all the time, when I had nightmares the first few months I moved in."

"You had nightmares? About what?"

His entire being recoiled from those dark memories of pain and shadowy monsters he couldn't quite see clearly, which made it all the more terrifying. "Just…"

When it became clear he wouldn't answer, Maris shrugged her thin shoulders. "Not all stories end with Happily Ever After. Even yours might not."

Ven stiffened, the idea making him uneasy. "How can you say that?" A strange hint of anger had crept into his voice.

"I'm sorry. I guess some things…really are better left unsaid."

"No, it's okay."

A bell tolled somewhere, and Ven barely heard it over the rumble of the music. He realized it had to be pretty late. "If Aqua and Terra _are_ here, I need to go see them."

Maris stepped away from him, and suddenly the night felt very cold. "Okay."

"Don't you want to come?" Ven asked, surprised and disappointed.

"No, I'm fine. I might…later…"

He studied her for a few heartbeats, and then he nodded. "Okay. But, Maris…there are a lot of things I wanted to ask you…"

She smiled a peculiar little smile. One that didn't show her teeth, but made her seem much younger. "Ven, I'm sure we'll meet again, someday soon, and then we can talk about everything. I promise."

Ven nodded, excited at the prospect. "Right. I'll go world traveling and tell you all about it!" He started walking towards the exit of the hedge maze. The hoarse chatter of the waterfowl reached his ears, along with a splash, as one of them dove into the crystal clear water.

He turned at the last second to offer her a cheery wave. "See ya!"

Maris was crouching near the pond, feeding the ducks. She looked up and smiled softly at him again, her light yellow hair flowing in the breeze. "Come back soon, Ven. So…we can be together again!" Her reflection in the pond rippled and shimmered, but his eyes were naturally drawn to the bright clarity of her gaze, both in the water and in the flesh.

"Right. Promise!"

With that, the blonde Keybearer turned and took off, pelting down the garden's various pathways and trusting his instinct to lead him through the maze and back to the Castle of Dreams.

~***~

Ventus burst through the side entrance of the palace via the small door to the far right of the pure glass wall. He quickly scanned the crowd and spotted a splash of blue and a smudge of dark brown. He recognized his friends' unique hair styles instantly and strode towards them with a huge grin on his face. He still felt strangely happy about his meeting with Maris, but he couldn't quite place why.

Aqua saw him first, and she withdrew from her incredibly close proximity with Terra. She turned and smiled at him, and Terra whipped around, glaring as if he expected an Unversed attack.

Ven caught Aqua in a hug—he had been secretly worried about her, but it was nice to know his fears were unwarranted—and gave Terra a playful punch to the shoulder, careful to avoid the shoulder-brace. "Hey guys! How's it going?"

The female Keybearer smiled, and he thought he had never seen her look happier. "It's been going great, Ven. How're you?"

For some reason, Ven was afraid Terra would laugh if he told him he had danced with a servant girl—he wouldn't _understand_ anyway—in the Castle gardens. _Alone_. So he told a half truth, since Aqua could see through lies easily. "Fantastic!" Truth. "I went to get some of Cinderella's old stuff for her, though she didn't want me to. Apparently, even if she's gonna be Queen or something, there's some things she doesn't want to lose." He twitched his nose, hoping they would believe that was all he had done. "Anyway, look at all the partygoers! I wish I knew how to dance."

Aqua looked like she was going to say something, but she cast Terra a strangely guilty glance.

The brown-haired warrior shrugged. "Go ahead," he told Aqua with a nod. His dark eyes were unreadable, his face solemn as usual, broken only by a slight upturning of his lips. The lone hint of a smile.

"Go ahead what?" Perplexed, Ventus looked rapidly back and forth between Terra and Aqua. There was something about their eyes…the way they were looking at each other. Just like Maris had been gazing at him, with her blue stare vividly clear and lucid…

_Oh…I get it._

"You two should go dance! I'll be fine. I've got two left feet, and I move too fast for any girl to keep up." He let the half truth slide off of his tongue again, remembering how Maris had had to slow him down near the pond.

Terra scowled at him, not convinced.

In all honestly, the prospect of waltzing with Aqua made his face want to turn red.

Aqua frowned at him, her expression skeptical. "You're making excuses."

_Time to jet. _

Grinning hugely at them, Ven shook his head. "Nah." He spotted Cinderella and Charming taking a break near the refreshment tables, and he quickly walked away, leaving Terra and Aqua to continue the dance he was sure they had been doing.

After a brief conversation with the pair—love was flowing thickly in the air tonight!—to let them know he had retrieved Cinderella's items and that they should _really_ consider giving Maris a vacation, he went to lean against the wall, unusually thoughtful, his mind straying towards the moonlit garden and the servant girl tending the waterfowl.

A girl that didn't believe in every story ending with a Happily Ever After. A girl that sketched, a girl that knew how to dance, a girl that could almost outrun him!

_A girl…that I made a promise to. Not Terra and I. Just me._

Reaching into his pocket, Ven looked at the green star charm that Aqua had fastened for him. Terra had a red one. She had a blue. Another oath, resting here in the palm of his hand. The music and conversation was oddly silent now, or maybe it was just him.

"_Ven, I'm sure we'll meet again, someday soon, and then we can talk about everything. I promise."_

Glancing up, he noticed Terra and Aqua were dancing again, both staring into the other's eyes without once looking away.

_I wonder if Maris and I looked like that._

Ven folded his fingers around the good luck pendant, closing his eyes and smiling.

Much later, when the sun rose, Cinderella managed to catch Ventus before he left the world. She gave him a colored picture of a small, secluded pond at night time…complete with two swans, three ducks, and two figures in the gazebo near the water. At the bottom, there was a message.

_And they lived Happily Ever After._

~***~

_**Okay, this story would NEVER have been completed without UnVeRsEd. Thank you, seriously. XD This whole story idea came from Kiome-Yasha, so thanks for the concept!**_

_**Right. Maris is the closest I could find to the Latin equal of Naminé's name, so sorry about that. I know she is technically an OC, but if Naminé was a person and not a Nobody, I imagine she would be similar to this.**_

_**Also, this is a companion piece to "Lose Yourself". You can see exactly what Terra and Aqua were doing during this time if you read that.**_

_**Anyway, want to drop a review? It'd make me happy and stuff! =) **_


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